1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns an apparatus for practicing and teaching the batting of balls, particularly baseballs.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Many games including the game of baseball require that a ball be skillfully hit with a bat, or stick. It is known to provide mechanical apparatus i.e. pitching machines which assist in the delivery, and redelivery, of baseballs to a batter in a manner which permits a batter to practice, and a hitting instructor to teach proper batting. Unfortunately such prior art pitching machines are extremely costly and area intensive and therefore are typically only utilized in the commercial setting.
More recently, the prior art has developed an indoor-outdoor, free-standing, platform apparatus particularly directed to the practicing and teaching of baseball hitting. Such a free-standing apparatus may be initially erected upon the floor and subsequently be utilized in its semi-permanent location. The apparatus essentially consists of (i) a generally vertical support member and base platform which supports and mounts a rotary arm member, (ii) a generally horizontal rotary arm member which suspends an impact member for arcuate motion about a vertical axis, and (iii) a free-hanging suspended impact member which may be struck by a bat for arcuate motion about the rotary arm member.
In this prior art device the vertical support member comprises a vertical column, or post, which is several feet high, which is supported by a base, and from which column perpendicularly extends a horizontal arm. The horizontal arm serves as an axis to a rotatable wheel mounted thereon at a few feet separation from the post. The horizontal arm and its wheel are the basic parts of the rotary arm member. The rotatable wheel, normally several inches in diameter, connects at a point upon its circumference to a flexible rope linkage, normally several feet long, which extends in a radial direction downwards from the horizontal arm and the wheel. At the end of the rope linkage a baseball is affixed. The rope linkage and its attached ball are parts of the suspended impact member.
In its static position, the rope linkage hangs vertically from the wheel and suspends the ball in air at a separation from both the horizontal arm and vertical column, and at a height and position suitable to be struck with a bat. When the ball is struck with a bat, it travels in an arcuate motion defined by the radius of the rope linkage about the axis of the wheel. If the ball is batted well and fully, it will completely encircle the horizontal arm on the rope linkage and will ultimately return, under the force of gravity, to the quiescent down-hanging static position. Thus the suspended ball is consistently used, and reused, in the practicing and teaching of ball batting.
The improvements of the present invention require that particular attention be given to certain elements of such prior art apparatus. The vertical post which supports and mounts the horizontal arm which suspends the ball by the linkage is, in the prior art, freestanding. The foundation to this freestanding vertical post comprises a base platform which is erected upon the floor or ground by several, generally orthogonal, intersecting steel rod elements. At a point of the intersection of several of the rod elements defining the base platform, the vertical post is affixed, either by mechanical fasteners or by welding. The vertical support post may be aided in retaining its vertical position perpendicular to the base platform by one or more support arms which extend angularly downward from the vertical post to the rod members upon the base platform. The support post does not penetrate below its foundation base platform, nor into the floor or ground.
As such, this more recently introduced prior art device has proven to be costly, difficult to transport and erect and thereby has proven generally unsuitable for widespread use.